Tie remover



J. K. STEWART Dec. 8, 1964 TIE REMOVER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 12, 1959 J. K. STEWART TIE REMOVER Dec. 8, 1964 .3 SheetsSheet 2 Original Filed March 12, 1959 JOHN h. STEM/ART Dec. 8, 1964 J. K. STEWART 3,160,114

TIE REMOVER Original Filed March 12, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 m "1| I '1 H i. N 5

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JOHA/ K. 57514445 7 21% 06mm :7, Jay/W lmw United States Patent Ofitice 3,1 6&1 l4 Patented Dec. 8, 1964 3,166,114 TIE REMOVER John Kenneth Stewart, Dorval, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Canada Iron Foundries, Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Original application Mar. 12, 15 59, Ser. No. 798,893, now Patent Na. 3,165,674, dated (let. 1, 1%3. Eivided and this appiication June 30, 1961, Ser. No. 121,176 3 Claims. (Cl. 104-9) This invention relates to a machine for inserting and removing railway ties. This application is divided from application Serial No. 798,893 filed March 12, 1959.

It has previously been proposed to provide a machine of this type in which pairs of jaws are hydraulically operated by a first piston and cylinder arrangement to clamp a tie, the jaws and tie being subsequently moved by means of a second piston cylinder arrangement, and both of said piston and cylinder arrangement being controlled by manually operated valves. This prior proposal has the disadvantage that as the resistance to movement of the tie builds up the jaws are liable to slip along the tie until the operator opens the valve for said first piston and cylinder arrangement to effect a tighter clamping of the jaws. On the other hand if the jaws are clamped as tightly as possible to begin with this is detrimental to the tie and in most cases is entirely unnecessary.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for inserting and removing railway ties which does not suffer from the above disadvantage.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a railway maintenance vehicle having a spike puller and tie renewing mechanism mounted thereon.

FIGURE 2 is a view of the tie renewing mechanism and hydraulic connections therefor;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken from the right-hand side of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 with parts broken away and parts in section;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed view of the piston and cylinder arrangement for opening and closing the tie clamping jaws;

As shown in FIGURE 1 the mechanism 3 for removing and inserting ties according to the present invention, is shown associated with a rectangular frame work 4 mounted for easy manipulation in a vertical direction, and a spike puller 5 adapted for transverse movement along said framework 4. A hydraulic circuit consisting of a reservoir, pump and suitable connections is provided on the vehicle for actuating the tie renewing mechanism and spike puller but only the characteristics of such circuit which are peculiar to the present invention will be described herein. The pump is driven by a gasoline driven self-contained power unit mounted on the vehicle.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 through 5, the tie removing and inserting mechanism illustrated comprises a pair of tie clamping jaws 6, 7 pivotally mounted attheir upper ends, as at 8 and 9, on the piston rod 113 and cylinder 11, respectively, of a double acting piston and cylinder arrangement and pivotally mounted intermediate their ends, as at 12, 13 respectively, on a slide 14 adapted to be reciprocated with a cylinder 15 slidably mounted on a piston 16 and piston rod 17. The piston rod 17 extends through the cylinder 15 and is secured at one end to a bracket 18 and at its other end to a web 19. The slide 14 has two apertures 20, 21 to accommodate guide rods 22, 23 which are also secured at their ends to bracket 18 and web 19.

Pressurized hydraulic fluid is fed and exhausted from the cylinders 11 and 15 through a common control valve 24 and suitable connections 25 to 30. Flexible pipes 25 and 26 connect valve 24 with the ends of cylinder 11. Flexible pipes 27 and 28 are paralleled oh? from pipes 25 and 26 and lead to a manually controlled valve 31 which is connected with the ends of cylinder 15 through flexible pipe 29 and rigid connection 30. Valve 24 controls both the clamping or unclamping operation and the movement of the jaws to and from a rail 32 of a railway track and valve 31 controls the sequence of operations. Thus, in one position of valve 31, some of the fluid flowing through pipe 25 flows into cylinder 11 to effect clamping of the jaws and some is caused to flow through pipe 27 and connection 30 to effect outward movement of the jaws with cylinder 15. In this position of the valve, the mechanism is adapted for removing a tie 33. To adapt it for inserting a tie, valve 31 is moved to another position so that the flow of fluid is diverted through pipe 29 to move the jaws inward after they have been clamped.

To ensure automatic clamping of the jaws prior to movement of cylinder 15, the working area 34 of piston 35 utilized for the clamping operation is made substantially, preferably 15 percent, greater than the working area 36 of piston 16. Thus, a greater force is exerted by the pressurized fluid to clamp the jaws than to cause movement of cylinder 15 which carries the jaws. More over, it follows from the parallel feed to cylinders 11 and 15 from common valve 24 that any increase in pressure required in cylinder 15 to overcome resistance to movement of the jaws, created for example by friction between the tie and the ballast, will automatically entail a corresponding increase in pressure in cylinder 11, thus causing the jaws 6, 7 to grip the tie more tightly and prevent the jaws from slipping along the tie.

The working area 37 on the other side of piston 35 need not necessarily be greater than the working area 36 of piston 16 since the pressure build-up required in cylinder 11 to effect unclamping of the jaws 6, 7 is obviously less than the pressure build-up required in cylinder 15 to move the cylinder 15, slide 14, jaws 6, 7, valve 31 and the tie 33 clamped by the jaws. Thus, the jaws will automatically open in any event before the commencement of the return stroke of cylinder 15.

The bracket 18 of the tie removing and inserting mechanism described above is upwardly recessed to bridge a tie transversely and is fixedly secured to a sleeve 18A. Sleeve 18A is slidably mounted on a shaft 183 borne by a bracket 18C. Bracket 18C also has mounted thereon a downwardly depending flange member 13D. Bracket 18 is adapted to engage the outer edge of the base flange of a rail, as shown in FIGURE 2, and flange member 18D is adapted to engage the inner side of the ball of the rail.

Provision is made for relative movement of about 1 inch between sleeve 18A and shaft 18B. Thus, when a tie is being removed, the reaction force will cause the sleeve 18A to ride inwards to ensure close abuttal of bracket 18 with the base flange of the rail, thus preventing the rail from being moved with the tie. Conversely, when a tie is being inserted, the reaction force will cause close abuttal of flange member 18D with the ball of the rail.

Bracket is attached to sleeve 18F which forms an integral part of a cylinder 38 adapted for vertical reciprocation on a piston 39. The piston 39 is rigidly mounted on the wheeled railway maintenance vehicle 1. The cylinder 38 is supplied with pressurized hydraulic fluid through a manually operated control valve 40 adjacent valve 24 and through the connections 38A and the port 388. Thus, when a tie replacing operation has been completed and it is desired to move on, the operator opens valve 40 to admit fluid to the top of cylinder 38 through the port 38B. Since the piston 39 is rigidly attached to the vehicle the cylinder 38 moves upwards relatively thereto and in 3 so doing carries therewith its integral sleeve 18F and consequently the tie renewing mechanism which is secured thereto until the jaws of that mechanism clear the top of the newly inserted tie. The operator then closes the valve and the vehicle is moved along the track until the jaws are disposed upon the next tie to he worked upon. The operator opens valve 4am exhaust the fluid from cylinder 38 whereupon the weight of the tie renewing mechanism causes the cylinder 38 to move down relative to the piston 39 and exhaust the hydraulic fluid through the port 383. When the point where the jaws are disposed on either side of the tie to be worked upon is reached the operator again closes the valve. By use of the valves 24 and 31 the cycle of operation is repeated.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a machine for removing and inserting railway ties, a pair of tie clamping jaws, a first piston and cylinder arrangement adapted to eifect clamping of said jaws on the sides of a tie, a second piston and cylinder arrangement adapted to effect movement of said jaws to remove or insert the clamped tie, a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure for actuating said piston and cylinder arrangements, and a single valve controlling the flow of fluid to both of said piston and cylinder arrangements, whereby any increase in pressure required for moving the tie will automatically ensure increased pressure for clamping said jaws to avoid slipping of said jaws along the tie, the working area of the piston of said first piston and cylinder arrangement utilized in clamping said jaws being substantially greater than the working area of the piston of said second piston and cylinder arrangement whereby the fluid flowing through said valve eifects clamping of the jaws prior to movement of said jaws and the tie.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1- in which the piston of said first piston and cylinder arrangement has a working area used in closing said jaws at least fifteen percent Cir 4i greater than the working area of the piston of said second piston and cylinder arrangement.

3. A railway maintenance vehicle comprising a frame, rail engaging wheels mounted on said frame to facilitate movement of the vehicle along a railway track, a pair of tie clamping jaws, a first piston and cylinder arrangement adapted to effect clamping of said jawson the sides of a tie, a second piston and cylinder arrangement adapted to efiect movement of said jaws to remove or insert the clamped tie, a third piston and cylinder arrangement mounted on said frame and adapted to effect vertical movement of said first and second piston and cylinder arrangements and said jaws, a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure for actuating said piston and cylinder arrangements, a single valve controlling the flow of fluid to both of said first and second piston and cylinder arrangements, and a separate valve controlling the flow of fluid to said third piston and cylinder arrangement, the working area of the piston of said first piston and cylinder arrangement utilized in clamping said jaws being substantially greater than the working area of the piston of said second piston and cylinder arrangement whereby the fluid flowing through said valve effects clamping of the jaws on the tie prior to movement of said jaws and the tie and whereby any increase in pressure required for moving the tie will automatically ensure increased pressure for clamping said jaws to avoid slipping of said jaws along the tie.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,908,228 10/59 Kershaw l04-9 LEO QUACKENBUSH, Primary Examiner. JAMES S. SHANK, Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR REMOVING AND INSERTING RAILWAY TIES, A PAIR OF TIE CLAMPING JAWS, A FIRST PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT ADAPTED TO EFFECT CLAMPING OF SAID JAWS ON THE SIDES OF A TIE, A SECOND PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT ADAPTED TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS TO REMOVE OR INSERT THE CLAMPED TIE, A SOURCE OF HYDRAULIC FLUID UNDER PRESSURE FOR ACTUATING SAID PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENTS, AND A SINGLE VALVE CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF FLUID TO BOTH OF SAID PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENTS, WHEREBY ANY INCREASE IN PRESSURE REQUIRED FOR MOVING THE TIE WILL AUTOMATICALLY ENSURE INCREASED PRESSURE FOR CLAMPING SAID JAWS TO AVOID SLIPPING OF SAID JAWS ALONG THE TIE, THE WORKING AREA OF THE PISTON OF SAID FIRST PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT UTILIZED IN CLAMPING SAID JAWS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE WORKING AREA OF THE PISTON OF SAID SECOND PISTON AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY THE FLUID FLOWING THROUGH SAID VALVE EFFECTS CLAMPING OF THE JAWS PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS AND THE TIE. 